Smokers are very aware of the fact that large volumes of lighted tobacco products, such as cigars, cigarettes and the like, are prematurely extinguished and thrown away before the tobacco products are fully used. Such early disposal is especially prevalent for smokers entering non-smoking environments which are rapidly being established in most public buildings throughout the country. Problems associated with the premature riddance of these lighted tobacco products are most readily evidenced in littering of the environment and increased costs to the smoker for obtaining replacement tobacco goods. In addition, statistics have shown that careless disposal of smoking materials continues to be a leading cause in the number of civilian deaths and injuries resulting from dwelling and home fires.
Various devices for extinguishing lighted tobacco products, known as snuffers, have long been available for providing smokers with tubular members designed to facilitate efficient extinguishing of lighted tobacco products, quick disposal of ashes, and easy removal of the extinguished tobacco product for resmoking. Some of these devices have been constructed of a singular piece such that a lighted tobacco product closely fits the bore of the snuffer so that a minimum of air is available to support combustion. Such snuffers include apertures for allowing smoke to be blown out of the lighted tobacco products and permit venting of undesirable odors while simultaneously providing a means for removing extinguished tobacco products shortened by smoking which have become lodged in lower portions of the snuffer. Other snuffing devices include two members hinged to or telescopic within each other for permitting easy withdrawal of ash and preventing escape of any tobacco product odors.
Such predecessor snuffers have not proved to be entirely effective and convenient to use and it remains desirable to provide an improved snuffing device which will quickly cease burning of and allow easy removal and transport of a tobacco product. It is further desirable to provide a snuffing device which will allow the maximum amount of tobacco product to be resmoked and reduce tile amount of extinguished tobacco products which are deposited on the ground, having been extinguished with one's shoe, or being emptied from one's automobile ashtray.